--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is…" description: "\"Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job to \"do things right.\" It is an executive's job to make sure \"the right things\" get done. Even ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/william-mcdonough-10055_building_peter-drucker-has-pointed-out-that-it-is_2497680.png" --- # Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job… ![“Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job to "do things right." It is an executive's job to make sure "the right things" get done. Even the most rigorous eco-efficient business paradigm does not challenge basic practices and methods: a shoe, building, factory, car, or shampoo can…” quote by William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/william-mcdonough-10055_building_peter-drucker-has-pointed-out-that-it-is_2497680.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/william-mcdonough-10055_building_peter-drucker-has-pointed-out-that-it-is_2497680.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d25/william-mcdonough-10055_building_peter-drucker-has-pointed-out-that-it-is_2497680.png) > “Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job to "do things right." It is an executive's job to make sure "the right things" get done. Even the most rigorous eco-efficient business paradigm does not challenge basic practices and methods: a shoe, building, factory, car, or shampoo can remain fundamentally ill-designed even as the materials and processes involved in its manufacture become more "efficient."” [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Managers should ensure actions are correct while executives ensure the right goals; efficiency alone cannot fix fundamentally flawed designs. **In simple terms:** Right actions vs. right goals; efficiency isn’t enough. Key Takeaway Align goals with sound design, not just efficiency. Themes management design efficiency ethics Mood analytical critical Type explanatory thought‑provoking When to use this quote - product development - corporate strategy - policy making - environmental planning Key Concepts systems thinking sustainable design Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify that a design is fundamentally sound? - What metrics capture goal relevance beyond efficiency? A Different Perspective Efficiency can mask deeper design flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eco/) [Executives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/executives/) [Ill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ill/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Paradigm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradigm/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-thing/) ## Related quotes > [What we are trying to do is to create a new business paradigm, simply showing that business can have a human face and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-roddick/what-we-are-trying-to-do-is-to-create-a-new-business-paradigm-simply/) [Anita Roddick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-roddick/) > [Trying to get government to be as efficient as business is as hopeless as trying to teach cats to bark and dogs to meow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-e-williams/trying-to-get-government-to-be-as-efficient-as-business-is-as/) [Walter E. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-e-williams/) > [“Peter Drucker challenged executives to capitalize on “unexpected success.” He wrote: When a new venture does succeed, more often than not it is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/peter-drucker-challenged-executives-to-capitalize-on-unexpected/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [When I was getting my education, I fell in love with the writings of Peter Drucker. He was my hero. I had a naive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-kawasaki/when-i-was-getting-my-education-i-fell-in-love-with-the-writings-of/) [Guy Kawasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-kawasaki/) > [“A well-managed plant, I soon learned, is a quiet place. A factory that is “dramatic,” a factory in which the “epic of industry” is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/a-well-managed-plant-i-soon-learned-is-a-quiet-place-a-factory-that/) [Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/) > [ “There is the risk you cannot afford to take, \[and\] there is the risk you cannot afford not to take. PETER DRUCKER” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/there-is-the-risk-you-cannot-afford-to-take-and-there-is-the-risk-you/) [Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/) > [“Until we manage time, we manage nothing.” – Peter F Drucker Don’t”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandan-deshmukh/until-we-manage-time-we-manage-nothing-peter-f-drucker-don-t/) CHANDAN DESHMUKH > [I agree with Peter Drucker that the culture and legal systems of the United Statesare especially favorable to shareholder interests, compared to other interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-agree-with-peter-drucker-that-the-culture-and-legal-systems-of-the/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [“The knowledge worker cannot be supervised closely or in detail. He can only be helped. But he must direct himself, and he must direct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-perman/the-knowledge-worker-cannot-be-supervised-closely-or-in-detail-he-can/) [Matt Perman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-perman/) > [“Peter Drucker suggested the transformation into a post-modern world happened between 1937 and 1957 (when he was writing). He described an as yet "nameless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wikipedia/peter-drucker-suggested-the-transformation-into-a-post-modern-world/) [Wikipedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wikipedia/) > [When a change initiative is focused on changing a company's culture directly, it can take five to ten years to accomplish its objective. Company…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-champy/when-a-change-initiative-is-focused-on-changing-a-company-s-culture/) [James A. Champy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-champy/) > [“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision. —Peter Drucker,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-e-knapp/whenever-you-see-a-successful-business-someone-once-made-a-courageous/) Duane E. Knapp > [“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. Peter Drucker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-drucker/there-is-nothing-so-useless-as-doing-efficiently-that-which-should/) [Peter Drucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-drucker/) > [“Management is about doing things right; leadership is about doing the right things. Peter Drucker”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-banfield/management-is-about-doing-things-right-leadership-is-about-doing-the/) [Richard Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-banfield/) > [Peter Drucker being one of the most important influences because he has helped to think differently about organizational leadership and management. Frankly, I learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosabeth-moss-kanter/peter-drucker-being-one-of-the-most-important-influences-because-he/) [Rosabeth Moss Kanter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosabeth-moss-kanter/) ## More by William McDonough > [Honor commerce as the engine of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/honor-commerce-as-the-engine-of-change/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I am very focused on large-scale deployments of renewable power and how we're going to get this done. Imagine our military bases covered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-am-very-focused-on-large-scale-deployments-of-renewable-power-and/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [You don't filter smokestacks or water. Instead, you put the filter in your head and design the problem out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-don-t-filter-smokestacks-or-water-instead-you-put-the-filter-in/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If design is the first signal of human intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-design-is-the-first-signal-of-human-intention/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [ You need that same creative force that exists in a building like Disney \[Walt Disney Concert Hall\] to actually tackle that most prosaic of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/you-need-that-same-creative-force-that-exists-in-a-building-like/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [And to use something as elegant as a tree? Imagine this design assignment: Design something that makes oxygen, sequesters carbon, fixes nitrogen, distills water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/and-to-use-something-as-elegant-as-a-tree-imagine-this-design/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I'd so much rather have exciting architecture that causes one to stop, breathe, and reflect on the potential of the human mind, the craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-d-so-much-rather-have-exciting-architecture-that-causes-one-to-stop/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [To eliminate the concept of waste means to design things-products, packaging, and systems-from the very beginning on the understanding that waste does not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/to-eliminate-the-concept-of-waste-means-to-design-things-products/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [We are not a green standard, we are a quality standard. We're different, we're multi dimensional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/we-are-not-a-green-standard-we-are-a-quality-standard-we-re-different/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [Don't get me wrong: I love nuclear energy! It's just that I prefer fusion to fission. And it just so happens that there's an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/don-t-get-me-wrong-i-love-nuclear-energy-it-s-just-that-i-prefer/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If anybody here has trouble with the concept of design humility, reflect on this: It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-anybody-here-has-trouble-with-the-concept-of-design-humility/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [The problem I have with carbon as a bad thing issue, is that people go out and say they want to be zero carbon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/the-problem-i-have-with-carbon-as-a-bad-thing-issue-is-that-people-go/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [If you don't have an end game of something delightful, you're just moving chess pieces around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/if-you-don-t-have-an-end-game-of-something-delightful-you-re-just/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [“Ultimately a regulation is a signal of design failure...it is what we call a license to harm: a permit issued by a government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/ultimately-a-regulation-is-a-signal-of-design-failure-it-is-what-we/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) > [I just think it is so delightful to see people, let their elbows free. I think the exuberance of it all is really exciting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mcdonough/i-just-think-it-is-so-delightful-to-see-people-let-their-elbows-free/) [William McDonough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) [Explore all 68 William McDonough quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mcdonough/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. Fentress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-w-fentress/) > [As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-witten/as-for-the-forces-electromagnetism-and-gravity-we-experience-in/) [Edward Witten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-witten/) > [I'm 30. I'm about to hit my prime now. I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job to \"do things right.\" It is an executive's job to make sure \"the right things\" get done. 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